Flowers bloomed in every direction—giant blue and purple tulips, golden sunflowers, lotus plants, rose bushes. The campers were dressed like farmers but wearing colorful T-shirts in flowery prints, with bandannas, and sandals.

“The Demeter kids take care of everything that grows,” Nasir explained as he passed with the new recruit he’d taken under his wings. “Heavily into recycling, organic food, and hippie stuff.”

“Who’re you callin’ a hippie?” Hudson demanded, shooting a suspicious glare at the son of Athena. Hudson’s mother may have been Demeter, but his father owned an apple farm in the North Georgia mountains and Mr. Shaw would have been deeply disappointed to hear anyone describe his son as a hippie.